What if
by lorcheto
Summary: AU. Balinor and Uther are brothers. Uther is the crowned prince of Camelot, married to princess Ygraine, and expecting a baby. Balinor is the younger prince, who fell in love with a witch from the village named Hunith, and eventually chooses her over the kingdom. After Nimueh kills Balinor and Hunith, Uther takes in their 5 year old son and raises him alongside Arthur
1. Chapter 1

**What if**

**Summary: AU. Balinor and Uther are brothers. Uther is the crowned prince of Camelot, married to princess Ygraine, and expecting a baby. Balinor is the younger prince, who fell in love with a witch from the village named Hunith, and eventually chooses her over the kingdom and moves to a village named Ealdor. Six years later, he and his wife are killed by the witch Nimueh, Uther takes their 5 years old son Merlin in and raises him alongside his own son Arthur. **

**Chapter one: Prologue**

Balinor Pendragon was the king's younger son. He loved his brother and Uther and Balinor were very close. Ever since they were kids. they would sneak out of the castle past curfew and go for a walk in the town. During one of those walks, when Balinor was 16, he met a girl. A girl about his age that he hadn't seen before.

"Hey, I am Balinor." greeted the prince.

"I know who you are. My brother is the court's physician. I am Hunith, Gaius's sister. Our parents sent me here to help him." said the black haired girl.

"You know you are past curfew, right."

"Yes, I know that, but so are you. So if you tell anyone, I am going to tell either."

"I am a prince of Camelot, and you are nothing more than a villager."

"Yes, just a villager, but how can you prove to you father that I was past curfew without telling him that you were past curfew yourself?"

Balinor opened his mouth to say something, but he realized that, she was right. But still to keep his dignity he said:

"Okay, this time I won't say anything to my father."

"That's more like it. Well, I'll be seeing you." Said Hunith and headed towards the physician's chambers.

"I'll be seeing you." Said Balinor to his brother, who was next to him and was barely holding his laughter. "Seriously, if I have to meet her every day, I might as well kill myself."

"Ohh, Balinor' s got a crush." Said Uther mockingly.

"Are you serious? I can't stand her."

"Yeah right, that's how all the best relationships start." Said Uther.

"I'm telling you, there is no way, there can be anything between Hunith and me."

"Argue with me all you want, brother, you'll see eventually that I am right."

The next few days were hard on Balinor. Not only was Hunith living in the castle, she was also a big pain in the ass. She followed him around everywhere, to meetings, snuck out from the castle with him and his brother and they were the only ones who knew that she was a witch. At first that bothered him, but later, he found out that he was starting to like her and he figured out that he was actually in love with her. Hunith was the main subject in the conversations with his brother. And then at his brother's coronation, Balinor invited Hunith to a dance.

A few months later Uther got married to princess Ygraine, and shortly afterwards they announced that Ygraine was expecting a baby.

Meanwhile, the romance between Hunith and Balinor blossomed even further. One night, Balinor and Uther were having one of their brotherly talks, when Balinor suddenly blurted out:  
"I love Hunith. I want to marry her. I actually proposed to her and she accepted."

"Balinor, you know father would never allow it. She is just a villager to him. The only reason, he allows you to hang out with her, is because he thinks this is just a fling. He won't care that you love her."

"I don't care what he thinks. It's not like I am going to be a king. He already married his heir to a princess, why should I marry a princess."

"Technically you are right, but father won't see it that way. We both have to marry for the good of the kingdom."

"That's the thing, Uther, I don't care about the kingdom, or about father. Me and Hunith are eloping tomorrow."

"Balinor….if father finds out , he is going to hunt you down, kill Hunith and possibly lock you up for the rest of your days. You don't want to defy him."

"Brother, I am not scared of him. I am not going to turn my back on love just because he says so."

"Balinor…he is king. And his word is the law. I am sorry, but I don't think he will react well to your disappearance."

"Uther….you have a wife and a child on the way. I want to have what you have. I want to have a family. I love Hunith, and she loves me. I promise, I will write you a letter when we have settled down and we will keep in touch."

"Wait a second…is this goodbye?"

"Yes, brother. I called you here tonight to say goodbye to you. Don't worry about me I am going to be fine, okay."

"Balinor, you can't tell me you are leaving Camelot for good, and expect that I will just accept it and not tell anything.

"You are my brother, please don't tell father anything. "

"And what about father? You know he will never forgive you for that."

"Let me ask you a question, brother. Do you love Ygraine? Are you happy with her?"

"Marriage isn't about love, Balinor. Marriage is a compromise between two parties, father taught us that, remember!"

"Uther, I love Hunith. I can't imagine my life without her. I asked her to marry me, she accepted and since this is impossible in Camelot, we are going to elope."

"But Balinor….father would be furious if you do that. And what am I supposed to do? You are my little brother and my best friend. I can't possibly imagine running a kingdom without you by my side."

"I promise, I will be in touch with you. We will see each other again, okay, brother. I love you, big brother, but I have to follow my heart and it is not here anymore. Goodbye, brother. Send father my best."

"Father will hunt you down, you know that, right?"

"Let him try." Smiled Balinor and hugged his brother.

Afterwards he went out of the castle, that he once considered his home, and hugged his future wife that was waiting for him in front of it

"Are you sure, you want to do this?" asked Hunith.

"We don't have choice." Said Balinor and the two left Camelot forever.

It wasn't a big surprise that the king was furious, when he found out that his younger son had escaped with commoner. He sent search parties for him, with direct orders to kill the girl, but to bring his son unharmed, but the search parties came back empty handed every time. It was like Balinor and Hunith had vanished into thin air.

5 years have passed, the king passed away, Uther had become a king, and the kingdom welcomed a new prince and heir to the throne Arthur. And still there were no news from Balinor. Until one faithful day, when Uther finally received a letter from his brother.

"Dear Uther,

I am sorry for not writing you in the last 5 years, but I couldn't risk the letter falling into father's hands. I recently discovered that father had passed away and that you are the new king of Camelot. I also heard that you have a son, and heir. That's great, brother. I am happy for you and for the kingdom.

Hunith and I are fine. We have settled down in a village called Ealdor in an adjacent kingdom. We became parents to a little boy and we named him Merlin. He takes after his mother in so many ways. He is 4 years old and he can already move things with his mind. We would love if you and Arthur can visit us one day.

I hope that I hear from you soon.

Your brother,

Balinor "

Uther chuckled as he read his brother's letter one more time. Ealdor, huh? That was in Cendred's kingdom and not very far from Camelot. He wondered how on earth had they managed to stay off the radar for so long. And then it hit him. Hunith had magic, maybe she used her magic to cloak them for a while. Oh, and he had a one year old nephew, he had to meet this kid. Balinor did imply that his nephew had magic like his mother, which both excited and worried Uther. He was excited, because, he had seen what Hunith could do with magic – she could move things with her mind, she had even saved their lives on numerous occasions, but also he had seen how much it exhausted her to perform such spells and how she struggled to get control of it sometimes. He couldn't imagine what magic like that could do to a child, who couldn't even speak. He wanted to see his brother, and he wanted Arthur to know his uncle and his cousin, who wasn't that much younger than him.

After careful consideration, he finally decided to take his son and visit his brother for a few weeks. The reunion was perfect. The brothers hugged and talked about the things that they have missed in their lives, and the kids. Uther grew to love his nephew very fast , even though Merlin was only a two years old he had Balinor's temper – he never did listen, always did whatever he wanted to do and used his magic without fear of anything. But he did worship Arthur and followed him around everywhere and would only listen to him. Arthur was 7 years old, so he was little bit annoyed at first when he discovered that he had a younger cousin, who had started following him around everywhere. One day he had had enough, turned around and yelled at the kid.

"You are a baby. Why are you following me around? Don't you have other things to do?'

"Artiee….Artie….mean."

"No, I am not mean, it's just that I am older than you and I need some time away from you."

"Me not like Artie anymore."

"Merlin….I didn't mean it like that."  
"Artie…mean." said the 4 year old and ran away from him into the dark forest that was in front of them.

"Merlin! " said Arthur and after yelling Merlin's name a few times and not getting a response, he realized that the only thing worse than Merlin not following him around, was Merlin going missing because of him. He went in the house to get his father and his uncle and aunt and to tell them that Merlin had disappeared.

"Merlin's gone!"  
"What do you mean gone?"asked Balinor rising from his chair immediately.

"He went into the forest. I just wanted him to leave me alone for a while. He was becoming annoying." Said Arthur. "I am sorry."

Uther rose from his chair with worry.

"It's okay, son." said Uther. "Stay here with Hunith, me and Balinor will find him."

"Father…is Merlin going to be okay?"

Uther didn't know what to say. For the first time in his life he had no idea what to say. Merlin was only 4 years old and had ran into the dangerous forest with nothing, but magic, that he couldn't quite control on his side. He just nodded and followed Balinor outside.

Arthur stayed with Hunith in the kitchen sobbing.

"I am sorry, Aunt Hunith." Said Arthur. "I didn't mean it like that. I would never forgive myself if anything was to happen to him."

"Ohh, Arthur, it's okay. I know that, but you have to understand….Merlin is too young to understand what you are telling him, so you have to be careful around him, okay."

"But now, Merlin is in the forest, all alone, and it's all my fault."

"Arthur…you are just a kid too. You can't blame yourself for that."

Twenty minutes later, Balinor and Uther came back carrying an unconscious and feverish Merlin.

"Oh, my god! What happened?" asked Hunith.

"Relax, Hunith, our boy is a champion. We were going to be attacked by some wolves and just as I was about to get him, he used some of his magic to push them away. I guess he used too much of it, though. He collapsed shortly after that." said Balinor, putting his unconscious son in the bed.

"Is he going to be okay?" asked Arthur.

"Oh, yes. A few nights of rest and he will be as good as new." said Hunith after checking her son's vitals.

"Can I stay with him?" asked Arthur."

"Sure…" said Hunith, putting a chair next to the sick boy's bed and letting Arthur sit on it.

He saw that Merlin stirred a bit and opened his eyes.

"Artie… Artie mean" said Merlin and coughed.

"Merlin, I am so sorry, okay. I really was mean. From now on, I will be better, okay. Just give me a second chance, okay. Can you do that?"

Merlin looked at him for a bit and shrugged.

"Okay, Artie…I am tired."

"Well, you should be. I hear you had quite the adventure. Well done, pushing those wolves away."

"Wolves…scary. Don't like wolves." murmured Merlin and fell back to sleep.

"I am not going to let anything scare you again, Merlin. I promise." said Arthur and stroked his cousin's hair.

Uther and Balinor watched this scene with pride and it reminded them of their relationship when they were kids.

"You know, you were wrong in your letter, when you said that Merlin took after Hunith. He has Hunith's magic and Hunith's eyes, but he also has your recklessness, your stubbornness and your bravery. He is all you, Balinor."

Three days later, Merlin was fully recovered and he and Arthur became practically inseparable. Merlin listened to everything that Arthur said, and Arthur really enjoyed his cousin's company. It was a sad day for everyone, when Uther announced that it was time for him and Arthur to return back to Camelot.

The brothers had an understanding, that they would see each other every month and would take turns visiting each other.

Merlin was inconsolable. He grabbed Arthur by the leg and refused to let go.

"Merlin…Merlin, please. I have to go."  
"No, Artie…stay, or let me come with you."

"Hey, Merlin….we will see each other very soon. You will come to visit me in the castle and there are a lot of games that I can teach you there, okay. Just think of how much we will have next month."

"No…please stay!" begged Merlin, tears filling up his blue eyes. "It's no fun without you here."

"Hey, you won't even feel that I am gone, okay. Time will go by, so fast that you won't even feel it. You listen to your parents and be a big boy, okay…" said Arthur and started tickling his cousin, finally releasing himself from his grip. He hugged Merlin and whispered in his ear: "I will miss you too, Merlin." And let him go, got on his horse and followed his father and followed him outside, leaving a still sobbing Merlin behind.

Over the next month, Merlin wouldn't talk to anyone, until they went to Camelot and he got to see and play with his favorite cousin.

Several months passed, the kids became closer than brothers and they relationship somehow mimicked the relationship between Uther and Balinor. They would tease each other, play with each other and they would sometimes fight but not for long. Ygraine grew quite fond of Merlin too. She looked at him as her own son. But one thing was certain – only Arthur could get that kid to do anything, even to go to bed in a reasonable hour.

"Artie… will you be there next month? I turn 5." asked Merlin on his last night in Camelot, while he was getting ready to sleep.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world." Said Arthur, kissed his forehead and wanted to turn the light off, but Merlin said:

"No….light. Dark is scary. Wolves might come back."

Arthur sighed. Every night, since Merlin had been lost in the woods, several months ago, they were having the same exact conversation. Those wolves had really scared him and even though his parents had assured him, that they wouldn't come back in Ealdor, and Arthur had assured him multiple times that there were no wolves in Camelot, the toddler was still freaked out of his mind about this.

He went to his cousin and hugged him tightly.

"What wolves? For the last time, Merlin, there are no wolves in Camelot and even if there were, they would be too scared to come near you and from what I have heard, I think that they should be more afraid from you."

"But what if they attack me in my sleep?"

"Then they will be afraid of me." said Arthur, and tickled Merlin . "I promise, nothing bad will ever happen to you as long as I am around."

"Okay…Artie.." said Merlin. "Artie…we will be friends forever, right?"

"Friends? Oh, no Merlin! We are brothers." said Arthur.

"Will you stay here tonight? In case the wolves come back."

"You know I will." Said Arthur. He couldn't believe that this toddler would even ask him that, since he spent the nights with him every single night, since his arrival.

The next morning, Merlin, Balinor and Hunith left, and Merlin started counting the days until his 5th birthday. He couldn't wait to see his cousin again. 12 days later, the long awaited day finally came. And with it came Arthur and Uther.

"Artie…I am five…I am a big boy now. You could teach me some big boy games." Said Merlin.

"Sure…like tag. Do you know this game?" asked Arthur.

"No!"

"Well, you chase me, and when you get me, you say "Tag, you are it" and then I chase you."

It had been a long and exhausting day for everyone especially for Merlin, who even though it was obvious that he was tired, insisted that he stayed up late and kept on playing with Arthur. It was when Arthur told him to go to bed immediately, that Merlin finally complied. It was amazing to Uther and Balinor, just how mature Arthur was when he was with Merlin and how he could make him do anything that his own parents couldn't.

It was well past midnight when a loud noise woke the entire household. Arthur immediately went to Merlin, who was shivering in his bed with fear, while the adults went to see what's going on.

"Artie…I am scared." whispered Merlin.  
"Shhh shhh shh shhh…it's okay, Merlin. Remember…there is nothing to be scared of." said Arthur. He heard voices from the kitchen, but he couldn't leave the poor three year old again.

"You can't do anything to stop me, Hunith! The child will be mine! Emrys is mine!" said a loud female voice from the kitchen.

"Nimueh….you will never have him."  
"Never say never, Hunith. You know what that child can do. He is the strongest of us all."

"I will never let you have him, Nimueh…." Said Hunith, mumbling something and sent a counter towards the other witch.

"Telekinesis….is that all you got! Let's see how you will react to this?" said Nimueh, mumbled something and killed Balinor. Balinor dropped dead in front of the horrified eyes of his brother.

"Uther…get Merlin and Arthur out of here, now." Said Hunith while she was trying to keep the witch at bay. Uther just kept on kneeling next to his brother's corpse. Nimueh however managed to overpower her and knock her unconscious and snuck inside Merlin's bedroom. She pushed Arthur away from Merlin, using telekinesis and went to the still sobbing 3 year old child.

"Merlin… You, stay away from him!" yelled Arthur feeling powerless against her. Nimueh just ignored him and got closer to Merlin.

"Artie…no!" yelled Merlin. Suddenly, as she was about to touch him, a white light came from Merlin's hand. A light that made the witch scream in pain and disappear within thin air. Arthur ran to his cousin, to see him shivering, sobbing covered in sweat. It was more than a sweat though, Merlin was burning up again, just like this time in the woods.

"Shh shh shh, you are safe, now. You are safe. You did good."

"I'm tired." said Merlin and fell into a feverish sleep.

Once Arthur was sure, that Merlin was asleep he went to the kitchen to see his father, still in shock, kneeling over his dead brother's corpse and his aunt Hunith unconscious.

"Father…is uncle Balinor…."  
Uther nodded in shock. He snapped out of it eventually and turned towards his son.

"That witch, she killed him. Is Merlin…."

"He is asleep, just like he was after the accident in the woods. Father, he banished the witch…I don't know how, but he did."

"Good, get his and your bags ready, he is coming with us to Camelot." Said Uther and went to Hunith's unconscious form. Thankfully, she was still breathing. She opened her eyes weakly and said:  
"Uther? Are Merlin and Arthur…."

"They are okay. Merlin saved them. He is a little sick, but he will be fine. Save your strength , Hunith. That little boy is going to need you now, more than ever. Balinor is dead. He can't lose you too."  
"Uther, I am dying. Nimueh overpowered me and wounded me mortally. Take care of Merlin, okay, and keep him safe. Make sure he learns how to fight and get Gaius to teach him how to use his magic properly."  
"Hunith, you can't do this to this little boy."

"Momma…." Said a little groggy voice from the door. Apparently Merlin had been awoken again from the voices and Arthur was by his side holding his hand. Seeing his father dead, Merlin ran to his mother in tears:"Momma….."

"Merlin…." Said Hunith weakly and touched her son's burning forehead. "You be a good boy okay, listen to uncle Uther, Ygraine and Arthur."

"But, momma, please! Don't leave me!"

"Hey, you are going to get to play with your cousin, remember? All the time…imagine that. Stay strong, Merlin." Said Hunith and died. Merlin hugged his mother's body and cried. Arthur tried to pull him out of her, but couldn't. He put at comforting arm on Merlin's shoulder, when he felt that Merlin finally gave into the exhaustion brought by the fever and the long day. After that Uther gently picked the sleeping boy up and carried him to his chariot. Merlin slept through the entire through the entire ride to Camelot in Uther's lap and it wasn't long until Arthur fell asleep too. The moment they arrived, Uther gently tried waking Merlin up, unsuccessfully, before taking him to Gaius. Arthur was told to get in his chambers, but he refused to leave Merlin's side. Uther sighed and agreed to let his son stay with his feverish nephew. After that he ordered to someone to go to Ealdor and to get Hunith and Balinor's bodies in order to get them a proper burial in Camelot.

"Gaius , why does Merlin keep getting sick whenever he uses his magic?" asked Arthur.

"Well, you see, wielding magic is like wielding a sword. You get better at controlling it as you get older. My guess is that he doesn't even know that he is using magic, and he uses it only when he is scared. And it overwhelms him." said Gaius. He was devastated to hear about his sister, but he didn't have time to grief, because right now, Merlin was his top priority. "He will be fine. You should get some sleep too, Arthur. You look tired too."

"I am not leaving him. I slept during the ride."

" Well, he is not going to be up for at least 5 more hours. You can get some sleep here, Arthur." Said Gaius after seeing that the boy was reluctant to leave his cousin's side and pointed to a bed adjacent to Merlin's.

Arthur nodded and lied on the bed. Before he fell asleep, he felt the urge to ask something that has been bothering him ever since the attack.

"Gaius, who was that witch, who killed uncle Balinor and aunt Hunith? And what does she want with Merlin? She kept calling him, Emrys."

Gaius stopped what he was doing when he heard the name Emrys.

"She said the name Emrys? Arthur, did she really call Merlin, Emrys?"

"Yes. What's up with that?"

"Was that witch, dark haired and blue eyed."  
Arthur nodded tiredly.

"Her name is Nimueh. She was a friend of mine and Hunith when we were younger, long before we came here. We were inseparable, until she started using her magic for evil. She burned our village and we ended up here. Arthur, if Merlin is Emrys, that means that he is even stronger than I expected. I fear there will be many warlocks and witches coming after him. Get some sleep, now, Arthur."

"I won't let them get near him." Said Arthur, finally going to sleep.

Gaius left his apprentice, Henri with the kids and went to talk to Uther.

"Uther, we need to talk. The child is not safe…he is Emrys, the most powerful wizard in the world. That witch that he banished, she was evil and more evil witches and wizards will come if we don't do something to keep them away. At least until Merlin is strong enough to defend himself."

"And how do you suggest I do that?"

"Forbid magic in Camelot… hunt down everyone who practices magic, because we don't know what their intentions might be.'

"I can't do that! Sure, magic killed Balinor, but magic also saved my son and my nephew."

"Uther, if you want to keep this child safe this is the only way. Merlin should be kept away from anyone, who practices magic, until he is ready to use his own magic consciously and without getting ill. And he shouldn't know who he is, right now."

"So, you want me to forbid magic in my own kingdom, but to let my nephew practice it under my own roof! I will look like a hypocrite!"

"No one will know who Merlin is, because you will explicitly forbid him to use magic in public until he learns how to control it."

Uther sighed and eventually nodded.

"You are right, do need to protect him from if it means lying to him about who he really is. His training starts as soon as he has recovered."

"But sire, he is only five years old an he just lost his parents. How about we let him be a kid for a few more years until he is old enough to understand what magic really is and completely destroy his childhood."

"And Arthur?"

"Arthur would die for this kid, before he lets something bad happen to him. I am pretty sure that we can trust that he won't tell Merlin anything that we don't want him to know."

"Gaius, one more thing... the witch...Did Merlin kill her?"

"I seriously doubt that, sire. Even though he is powerful, I doubt that he is strong enough to kill probably severely injured her, and she vanished to recuperate."

"Do you think...she will be back for him?"

"Maybe in a different form. Nimueh is and has always been unpredictable."

Uther nodded and let Gaius go. He couldn't let the witch get near the boy couldn't let get anyone near Merlin. Merlin had to be kept in the castle at least for now. The second Gaius left he ordered to surround the castle with a wall.

When Merlin woke up he thought that everything had been a dream. A bad nightmare. A voice was calling him, a very familiar voice. He definitely wasn't lying on his bed. This bed was definitely more comfortable. He opened his eyes and saw Arthur sitting in a chair next to him and he was lying on a bed that suspiciously looked like the one he had in Camelot. Why was he in Camelot, though.

"Artie...what happened?"

"Merlin...are you okay? You have been asleep for some time."

Five days to be exact. The five longest days in Arthur's life. This time I it had been worse than 's fever had broken just the day before and they had managed to wake Merlin up just for a few minutes to get him something to eat.

"Head Mother and father?"

"They are in heaven, don't you remember?"

"It wasn't a dream?" said Merlin, tears appearing in his eyes. Arthur climbed onto the bed next to Merlin and hugged him.

"It's okay, Merlin...It's okay."

The next weekdays were a nightmare for for Uther, Arthur and any other poor soul, who tried to get Merlin to eat something or to talk to them. Merlin had shut himself off from everyone, including Arthur, which was the thing that worried Uther most. Not that he could blame the kid, but he wasn't about to let him starve himself to death or to become a distant island that nobody could reach.

Finally, Uther decided that he has had enough of this. He barged into Merlin's room with tray and saw the kid staring blankly in the ceiling .

"Merlin, can you hear me?"

Merlin simply looked at his uncle and blinked.

"Listen, I know how you feel. Your father was my brother and my best friend an your mother was a good friend of mine too. I know you are hurting, I am hurting too, but I am also hurt by the fact that you won't talk to me or Arthur. How do you think we would feel if we lost you?"

Merlin looked at his uncle and said:

"I miss them, uncle. They are really gone."

After that, he picked up a spoon and started eating.

The next few nights Merlin was suffering from very vivid nightmares which made Arthur sleep in the same room with him and calm him down. After a few more days Merlin was slowly getting back to his old self, chuckling, playing and teasing with his cousin. When they went out to play outside for the first time in a few months, they saw a giant wall around the castle.

**So this was chapter one.I am looking forward to hearing your**** thoughts. Shall**** I continue?**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey, guys. Thank you for the reviews. I am sorry for not updating, things have been hectic for me around here. I had exams at the University and I have an MA thesis to write, so I have little time to focus on my stories.**

**Also, since I realized that I have messed up with Merlin's age, because my original intentions were to make him younger, I will clear it up right now. Merlin is 4 years old in the beginning of the first chapter and 5 by the end of it. Arthur is 3 years older than Merlin.**

**So, this chapter takes place, four years after the events of the first chapter. Merlin is 9 and Arthur is 12.**

** Chapter two: Four years later**

It had been 4 years, since Merlin had lost his parents. Four long years, in which he has been living with his uncle and his cousin and also four years since he became a prisoner in his uncle's castle. A prisoner, that is exactly how he felt like, because he was forbidden to go beyond the wall, that was surrounding the castle, without a guard, or the king accompanying him.

His uncle had explicitly stated numerous times, that the 9 year old was not to leave the castle alone. And every time Merlin would argue that he wasn't going to go alone, but with Arthur and Arthur's friends, but Uther was adamant that Merlin was not to leave the castle alone, without adult supervision. And every time that Merlin would ask why, Uther would just snap at him and send him to his room. And later, the king would come into Merlin's chambers and apologize for his words, earlier that day.

Merlin knew that Uther loved him and did what was best for him, but yet it would have been nice if he had friends, that he wasn't related to. He loved Arthur like a brother, and he would trust him with his life, and he was his most trusted confident, but he envied him. Arthur had friends outside the castle, and Merlin was dying to meet them, especially after all the stories that Arthur had told him about them. Merlin also enjoyed spending time with his other uncle, Gaius and loved helping him with his work. He enjoyed watching the older man mix potions and other remedies.

Also, Merlin had this weird feeling that his relatives were hiding something from him. He didn't remember much of what happened the night his parents had died. All he knew was that it was on his fifth birthday and that Arthur and Uther were there when it happened. He remembered this weird crash, and a woman, being next to him, but in the next moment she had been gone. He remembered being sick for a few days afterwards, and that was about it. Every time he would bring that night up, to either Uther, or Gaius, both would tell him that a burglar had come into his house and had killed them, and that he had knocked him unconscious.

And now, after yet another failed attempt to get his uncle to let him go out in the city with Arthur and his friends, he angrily slammed the wooden door of his chambers, and sat on his bed. A knock on his door, suggested that either his uncle had come to apologize or someone wanted to talk to him, and he wasn't in the mood to talk.

"Go away!"said Merlin. The door squeaked open, and his cousin Arthur went inside his room sat down next to him.

"Aren't you supposed to be out with your friends?" said Merlin.

"Well, I decided not to go and spend the day with you instead." said Arthur. "Are you okay?"

"I am fine! You don't have to check up on me every time I have a fight with Uther."

"You know he is doing what he thinks he is best for you, right."

"So, he thinks that it is good for me to be kept inside like a prisoner."

"Merlin…he doesn't treat you like a prisoner. He just wants to protect you."  
"Protect me? From what? I mean what could be so dangerous, that I cannot go beyond that goddamn wall? I hate that wall."

Arthur swallowed. He hated lying to his cousin, but his father explicitly forbade him to tell Merlin anything about magic, or about Nimueh.

"Merlin…you have to understand…he is concerned about your safety, and he feels like there are people that could hurt you…"

"Why me? Why is he so concerned about me? He doesn't seem to be concerned about you running around the city with your friends."

"Well, I am older than you! Plus, I am better with swords than you and I can defend myself if someone attacks me."

"Are you suggesting that I can't?" asked Merlin.

"No, no, no. I am just saying that I think that Morgana fights better that you…and she is 3." Said Arthur, chuckling.

Morgana was Arthur's 3 years old sister. Merlin and Arthur both adored her and feared her, because, even though she was just a toddler, she was a sneaky little devil. She would hide somewhere, make whoever is watching over her look for her for hours, and then she would reappear with a smirk on her face. Merlin swore sometimes that she was the devil in disguise.

"Not funny." said Merlin.

"Aww, come on it is a little funny. I heard she hit you with a wooden box the other day."

"Arthur, she caught me by surprise. I was just playing with her, and then she hit me out of the blue."

"See…she is only 3 and she is already a better fighter than you."

"It was just one time. Plus, I would never hit a baby, even if my life depended on it."

"Yeah, because you can't!" said Arthur and kept on chuckling.

"Ohh, shut up…." Said Merlin and punched his cousin lightly.

"Is that the best you got?" asked Arthur, and shoved him playfully.

"Ohh….oh, it's on." said Merlin and the two started a friendly fight.

Arthur could win easily of course, because even though Merlin was strong for his age, and could hold his own in a fight, Arthur was still stronger and better than him. And then, Arthur had Merlin pinned to the ground, and Merlin struggling to get out.

Neither of them saw it coming, but suddenly, a wooden box hit Arthur in the back of his head and knocked him unconscious. Merlin, now set free, looked at the unconscious form of his cousin, lying in front of him, shock and fear written on his face. What had just happened? How did that box get from his table and hit Arthur? And more importantly was Arthur going to be okay? Merlin tried to wake his cousin up unsuccessfully, and noticed that there was a small bump in the back of Arthur's head, which suggested nothing good.

Merlin ran down the stairs and went to get his uncles and his aunt, who ran upstairs immediately after Merlin had told them that Arthur was unconscious in his chambers. While Gaius was tending to Arthur's wounds, Uther pulled Merlin aside and asked him:  
"What happened, Merlin?"

"I-I really don't know how did that box get from my desk to here. In one moment we were playing and in the next, it just hit him on the head…"

"What were you playing, Merlin?" asked Uther.

"We..we were having a friendly fight. I really don't know what happened, I am so..sorry. Uncle…is he going to be okay?"

Uther didn't answer, and turned his attention towards the physician, who had just joined them.

"Well, thankfully, he is going to be okay. He has a moderate concussion, but after a few days of bed rest, he should be fine." said Gaius. "I think we should move him to his chambers."

"I will carry him." Said Uther, picked his unconscious son up and carried him to his own chambers next door.

Gaius turned his attention to his nephew, who was still shaking.

"Uncle Gaius, I-I think I hurt him. I think I made that box move."

"No, Merlin…you didn't…" said Gaius, trying to calm the little boy down.

"No, Gaius, you don't get it. We were playing, and then I felt something. Something can't quite describe, he had me pinned to the ground, not too hard of course, but I found myself struggling to escape. Uncle Uther and Aunt Ygraine won't even look at me. I want to know what happened." Said Merlin and suddenly a lot of items from his desk started flying across the room. One of them nearly hit Gaius.

"Am I…am I…causing all of this?"

"Merlin…." said Gaius and tried to hug the boy, but the kid just pushed him away and said:

"Don't touch me! I don't want to hurt you." said Merlin and ran. He ran downstairs, ignoring Gaius's yells after him. He ran past the guards that were guarding the castle and then he ran past the guards that were guarding the door of the wall that was surrounding the castle. He heard the steps of the guards, who were chasing after him, but he managed to escape them and blend in the crowd. He ran through the city and before he knew it, he was in the forest. What was he supposed to do now? He couldn't go back. He had hurt Arthur and he had almost hurt Gaius. What if next time he kills somebody. And how did he do these things? Was he some sort of a freak?

It was getting dark and it was getting cold in the forest, and he was all alone. He sat on a rock and sighed.

"Well, you look troubled, lad." said a voice next to the tree. Merlin looked up and saw an old woman, who was standing next to a tree.

"I am fine, thank you." Said Merlin.

"Are you sure? You look upset about something…and I am a great listener, maybe I could help you."

"I doubt that….I did something…Something unforgivable. And I don't even know how I did it."

"What did you do?"

"I made a box move with my mind and I accidentally hurt my cousin. I can't go back home. I don't want to hurt anyone ever again. I am freak."

"You are not a freak. You have magic." said the woman.

"Magic? What is magic?" asked Merlin.

"This is magic." Said a woman and murmured something under breath and a light appeared in her hand.

"I don't care what it is. I don't want to have it! I hurt my cousin with it. I don't want to hurt anyone with it ever again."

"Well, perhaps, I could help you with that. There is a way….but we are going to have to go to my cottage….it is nearby. If you want, I could take that magic out of you." Said the woman.

The boy hesitated for a moment, but subsequently agreed. He followed the old woman deeper into the woods. Little did he know, that that old woman was actually Nimueh in disguise, and that she actually wanted to take his magic for herself.

* * *

Meanwhile, Uther was beside himself with worry. When Gaius entered Arthur's chambers and had informed him that Merlin had ran away, because he had realized that he had magic, Uther ran downstairs and found out the kid had slipped past the guards.

"What sort of incompetent fool cannot stop a 9 year old from escaping? He is 9 years old!" cursed Uther and looked at his guards. "Well, don't just stand there, search the city and the forest."  
His heart skipped a beat at the thought, that his nephew could be all alone in the dark and dangerous forest. He never should have kept the boy's magic a secret from him. He just wanted the kid to have a normal childhood. And now Merlin was out there, all alone. He would never forgive himself, if something happened to the kid because of him.

He got on his horse and joined the search party in the forest. He hoped that he would find Merlin, before something bad happened.

* * *

Merlin walked with the old woman deeper into the woods and he spotted a cottage. A little wooden brown cottage. The woman opened the door of the cottage and the two entered.

"Why don't you sit on the table, Merlin, while I prepare the potion that is going to fix your little problem."

"How do you know my name?" said the boy, suddenly suspicious. He never actually told her his name.

"Well, you told me…" said the woman.

"No…I didn't." said Merlin.

The woman cursed and murmured something under her nose, and sent him flying towards the wall and knocked him out. After that she carried him to the chair and tied him up, putting a spell on the ropes.

When Merlin woke up, he was in pain. His back was killing him, and so was his head. Everything was blurry and everything was spinning. He was tied to a chair, and he struggled against the rope, but all that did was make the ropes burn his hands.

"I wouldn't if I were you. Save yourself a world of pain, and don't try to struggle with the ropes…unless of course you want to be badly burned." Said Nimueh, now without the disguise of an old woman.

"Who are you?" asked Merlin.

"My name is Nimueh, and let's just say that I was an old friend of your mother's." said the wtich. "You know, I didn't expect you to be so naïve. After all, you are supposed to be the greatest sorcerer of all time. Yet again, I shouldn't be surprised….you don't even know what magic is."

Merlin was utterly confused. Who was that woman? She looked familiar. And what was that about the greatest sorcerer of all time? He didn't even know he had magic, or what the hell magic was until now.

"Oh, my god. You really don't know, do you? Who you really are? How your parents really died?" said Nimueh.

"My uncle said that a burglar came in and killed them on my fifth birthday." said Merlin.

"A burglar?" Nimueh started laughing. "Hate to break it to you, but your uncle lied to you. It was me. I killed them! I killed them to get to you."

"What? Why me? Why am I so special?"

"Because you are the greatest sorcerer of all time. You are Emrys."

"And my uncle knew that?"

Nimueh nodded.

"I wouldn't blame him if I were you, though. He was just trying to protect you from me. I mean, this is why Uther built that wall in the first place – to keep you safe. That is also, why he outlawed magic. Everything he did was to protect you!"

Merlin nodded. Now it all made sense.

"What are you doing?" asked Merlin, as the witch kept mixing herbs in the cauldron in front of her, and murmuring spells under her nose.

"Isn't it obvious? I am taking your powers away. And the only way that I am able to do so, is because you gave me permission to do so." said Nimueh, as she kept stirring the potion in the cauldron.

Merlin was starting to feel weak. His head was getting heavier and his vision was starting to get blurry. He felt unconsciousness calling for him…and he wanted to answer this call.

* * *

When Arthur woke up and discovered that Merlin was missing, he was furious. What the hell was his cousin thinking? He was about to join his father's search party, but Gaius stopped him, saying that he suffered a very heavy blow to the head, and that he needed to rest.

"I don't want to rest! I want to find Merlin!"

"Your father is out there looking for him, Arthur! You will be of no help to Merlin if you suffer a brain hemorrhage, while looking for him. Merlin already feels guilty enough, that he hurt you."

"But it is my fault that he is missing, Gaius. I can't just sit here, while he is out there. I promised that I would protect him, Gaius!"

"Arthur! Don't make me drug you and lie down. You have a concussion! The best way you can protect him is if you lie down and let yourself heal!"

Arthur sighed, but reluctantly lied back down on the bed and thought:

"_Where the bloody hell are you, Merlin!"_

* * *

Merlin was slowly losing his battle with consciousness. Maybe Arthur had been right, he was too weak to fight. The witch was laughing in the background, but her laughter seemed like a distant echo to Merlin.

"_Where the bloody hell are you, Merlin!" _

Merlin could have sworn he heard his cousin's voice in his head. Of course, he could be just hearing things because of his weakened state, but that seemed so real. He wanted to answer, but he didn't know how. His head was killing him, his vision was blurry, he was scared and he was really tired. He just wanted to sleep. He closed his eyes and thought: "_I am sorry, Arthur"_

* * *

"_I am sorry, Arthur."_

Arthur sat up again. Was Merlin really answering him? How?

"What is it, Arthur."

"Merlin….he….I can hear his voice in my head. Is that really possible, Gaius?"

"Anything is possible….he is the most powerful sorcerer of all time."

"_Merlin? Merlin, are you okay?"_ thought Arthur, hoping, that he would get an answer.

* * *

"_Merlin? Merlin, are you okay?" _Merlin heard his cousin's voice in his head again.

"_I am tired, Arthur. She is stronger than me. I am sorry that I hurt you."_ Thought Merlin, though he didn't really know if he was really having a telepathic conversation with his cousin, or if this was all a hallucination, induced by the fever.

* * *

"_I am tired, Arthur. She is stronger than me. I am sorry that I hurt you."_

She? Oh, no. Arthur's darkest fears had come true. Nimueh had found Merlin. He knew that Merlin could defeat her, he has done it before, when he was younger. All Arthur needed to do is remind him of that.

"_She is only stronger than you, only if you believe that! You have fought with her before and won, this is no different than that. You are the most powerful sorcerer in the world! Believe in that! Fight!"_

* * *

After hearing his cousin's response, Merlin's wanted to laugh. How the bloody hell, was he supposed to fight? He knew nothing of magic. Besides it was only a few hours ago, when Arthur had said that Morgana fights better than him.

"_Okay first, you knew about my magic, but you didn't tell me? Why? And second, wow! That box really must have hit you hard! Only a few hours ago you were saying that Morgana fights better than me."_

* * *

""_Okay first, you knew about my magic, but you didn't tell me? Why? And second.. wow! That box really must have hit you hard! Only a few hours ago you were saying that Morgana fights better than me."_

After hearing that, Arthur rolled his eyes. For the world's most powerful sorcerer, his cousin was such an idiot!

"_Okay, first father ordered me to lie to you, in order to protect you! And second, did you really think I meant it! She is three for crying out loud! How stupid are you? Well that is rhetorical question, considering that you were stupid enough to run away! Merlin, trust me, when I say, I believe in you. Believe in yourself! You can defeat her! You may not remember it, but you already did it once! Do it again!"_

* * *

"_Arthur…I am scared! I don't know how to control my magic. I don't even know, if this conversation is real, or is a hallucination….She has won!" _thought Merlin, after hearing his cousin's response.

* * *

"_She hasn't won yet, Merlin. She is the one, who should be afraid of you! As for this conversation, I assure you that is very real, even though, I am not even sure, how you are doing it! Merlin, you are stronger than her! Trust me! Fight!" _thought Arthur.

After the response from his cousin, Merlin's eyes shot open. His vision was still blurry and his head still hurt like hell, but there was no way, he was going to let this witch win and steal his powers without a fight. It took all the strength that he could gather, but he released himself from the magical ropes and he threw himself at Nimueh.

Nimueh flicked her wrist and sent him flying, to the other side of the room and laughed.

"You think, that you can possibly defeat me? You are nothing, but a mere child, without your magic."

Merlin stood up, groaning, and said:

"Ohh, I am so much more, Nimueh. Look towards your potion, I think that you will notice that something is wrong."

Suddenly, the potion started to turn white. Nimueh frowned. That wasn't supposed to happen. It was supposed to turn red, not white. The white color could only mean that…..the boy was fighting her spell. But how could that be….the boy had no idea how to control his powers and he had given her permission to take them.

"How are you doing that? You can't have your powers. That's impossible." said Nimueh.

"Impossible….apparently nothing is impossible, Nimueh." said Merlin. "I am no longer scared of you! You are no match for me." After that he flicked his wrist and he threw her across the room.

"No way! You are just a kid! You don't know how to control your powers."

"I may not have full control over them, but I will never let you have them." said Merlin, as he felt his powers slowly returning to him.

Realizing she was defeated again, Nimueh cursed under her breath, and said:

"We will meet again, Emrys, and next time a promise, not to underestimate you."

After that, she disappeared in black smoke.

After that, Merlin felt the adrenaline wearing off and exhaustion setting in again. He leaned against the wall and he drifted off to a blissful unconsciousness. He heard voices calling his name in the distance, but didn't want to answer.

* * *

Meanwhile, Uther was beginning to lose hope that he would ever see his nephew again. They have been searching for hours now, but they still haven't found the 9 year old. Uther sighed. This was all his fault. Uther cursed himself for keeping the boy's powers a secret from him. All he wanted was to protect his nephew, but instead, he put him in even more danger. What if Nimueh or some other sorcerer had already found him? That thought made Uther's heart skip a beat. Merlin knew nothing of magic, knew nothing of the dangers it brought with it, and could be easily manipulated by someone with magic.

One of the knights pulled Uther out of his thoughts.

"Sire, we have been at this for hours! The horses are tired, so are the men. Maybe, we should continue the search tomorrow."

"My nephew is lost, scared and alone. We are not going back until we find him! I don't care if it takes all night, I want Merlin found." Said Uther.

Suddenly a cottage appeared out of nowhere, and he saw black smoke, exiting it through the chimney. Uther burst the door open and he found Merlin sweating and unconscious leaning against one of the walls.

Uther ran towards his nephew and started clapping his face:

"Merlin, Merlin?"

Merlin remained unconscious and his breaths were uneven and rigid, and that worried Uther. Uther carefully carried the unconscious boy to his horse and brought him back to the castle.

* * *

Three days later, Merlin finally woke up. His whole body ached. He looked around. He was in his chambers, lying on his bed, and sitting next to his bed was Arthur.

"Merlin, Merlin are you awake?"

"Arthur? Is that really you?"

"Yes. Merlin, are you okay?"

"I am tired, and I am a little. I am sorry that I hurt you."

Arthur smiled sadly.

"Haha, hurt me? That is what you are apologizing for? Not for running away and for nearly getting yourself killed. Merlin….you could have died! There is no way that you could hurt me worse than that. What the hell were you thinking?"

"Well, I was thinking that you would hate me, because I hurt you. I didn't realize that you all lied to me on a daily basis and that I was actually a sorcerer." Said Merlin, getting slightly angry.

"Okay, if it was up to me, I would have told you about your magic years ago. But unfortunately, it wasn't. Father made me promise not to tell you about it. Second, Merlin…I could never hate you! I can't imagine my life without you. Don't you ever run away like that!" said Arthur.

"I don't know…if it was real or not…but there was moment there, when I thought that I was talking to you…not exactly talking…more like…telepathy….or something like that."

"I believe I already told you that it was real…" said Arthur.

"But how….I was weak…like really weak."

"I don't know. I think that you should ask Gaius that question."

"Ohh, I wish I had the answers for everything. But it may have something to do with the fact that you two are connected by fate." Said a voice from the door. Gaius.

The two boys looked at the physician in confusion.

"What?"

"Well, yes, you two are the two sides of the same coin." asked Gaius.

"What? Is there anything else that you haven't told us?" asked Merlin.

"Well, you two, have always had this connection. This is why you get along so well. I am surprised you are figuring it out now. Especially you, Arthur, you have always felt it, that's why you are so overprotective of him. And the connection is also the reason why you could communicate with him, Merlin. Even at your weakest point, your magic reached out to the most important person in the world to you."

Merlin stood still for a moment trying to take in the new information.

"Merlin, are you okay?" asked Gaius.

"I don't know…..I am still wrapping my head around the fact that this _dollaphead _is the most important person in the world to me and apparently I am connected to him for the rest of my life." Said Merlin chuckling.

"Hey, you are not a walk in the park, either, you idiot! I have to watch you, otherwise you may run away again and get yourself into trouble."

'Who are you calling an idiot, you prat?"

"You! You were the one who ran away. Besides what the hell is a dollaphead?"

"Well…you are…I thought I made that clear."

"Really, tell me what it means?"

"I already told you twice, or are you too much of an idiot to understand it?"

"No, I really want a definition of the word."

"If I have to spell it out for Your Prattishness, fine….dollaphead means Prince Arthur."

"Oh, really, and how do I define you, Prince Merlin?"

"Charming…cute…sweet…smart…."

"Mmm, no….the words that come to mind are clumsy, stupid, irresponsible, ….I could go on all day." Said Arthur.

"Ohh, it is so on!" said Merlin, and the two continued to call each other names.

It was in that moment, when Uther came in the room. He smiled, when he saw his nephew was awake and bickering with his cousin. Everything was going back to normal.

"Hey, sorry to interrupt….Merlin, I am so glad to see you awake."

"Yeah, I am sorry I ran away like that, uncle."

"No, Merlin, I am sorry. I never should have lied to you. I just wanted you to be a kid, just a little while longer. After what happened to your mom and dad….I guess, I wanted to protect you."

"It is okay, uncle, I understand….I am a little angry, but I understand."

"You do realize that there will be more sorcerers coming at you."

"Well, let them come…I will be ready for them." Said Merlin.

"Ohh, I am sure you will be. Starting next week, you start practicing magic with Gaius, but Merlin….don't practice it outside the castle walls and without permission. Only if necessary. Magic may not be evil, but it is dangerous. The less you use it, the better." said Uther.

"No need to tell me twice." said Merlin.

"Well, I should leave you two. I have to go into town. I just wanted to check up on you, before I left." Said Uther and left Merlin's chambers.

"Now where were we? Oh, yeah…whimp!" said Merlin.

"Idiot!"

"Prat!"

And the two continued with their bickering and laughing. As long as they had each other nothing could stand between them.

**Okay, that was chapter 2. Next time, I am starting with "The Dragon's call."**

**I just thought that it would be interesting to write a chapter, in which Merlin is a kid and is the only one unaware of his magic. I hope you liked it! I look forward to reading your reviews. I promise I will update as soon as I can.**

**See you soon! **


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